Red Clover Syrup (The summer syrup) ｜自製紅花苜蓿糖漿

Early summer is about mulberries and red clovers.  We were about to look for a big batch of red clovers to make syrup.  As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted a mulberry tree that was full of mulberries.

My son and I were so excited running under the tree and starting to pick the berries on the ground.  It was an easy forage.  Mulberries were laying everywhere.  As the wind kept blowing the tree, it shook off more ripened mulberries around us.  My husband got "hit" by the mulberries a few times, and a big mulberry even dropped right into my paper bag.

Very soon, we filled the small bag and left the rest to the wildlife.  My son often said the birds are watching us while we foraged  because they would be upset if we took too many.  He has a great point.

Mulberry is a common wild edible can be found in many places in the cities and parks.  When foraging them, you will only want the black ones.  The unripe white or red mulberries can cause mild to severe upset stomach or even hallucinations.  If you are picking mulberries with children, make sure they don't put the red ones in their mouths.  Though, the mulberries that have dropped from the tree are mostly ripened.

Left: picking mulberry beside a parking lot; top right: ripen mulberries in soaking water; bottom right: red clovers

We also got lucky with the red clovers.  There were patches of them growing along the walking path.  To make syrup, I always forage only the pink clovers.  They are much sweeter, more floral, and have higher medicinal properties to prevent coughing.

The leaves and the flowers of the clover are edible, but the leaves are somewhat bitter, and we don't really enjoy them as much as the flower top.

This is the clover has the mix of pink and white.  It's edible, but I usually leaf it out of my foraging  since it is not as sweet as the pink clovers.

Hiking in summer, you can also easily find wood sorrel.  They usually grow close to the ground under the bushes or under the trees.  Each wood sorrel is composed of three heart shaped leaves.  The leaves, stems, and the yellow flowers are edible and taste lemony.  My son loves it.  He kept asking me to pick more for him so that he could snack on the hike.  We had a great time that day.

My son was snacking wood sorrel. 

Red Clover Syrup

自製紅花苜蓿糖漿

Ingredients:

2 cups Red Clovers, flower head only

2 cups Mulberries

1 cup Sugar

4 cups Water

How to make it:

1. Soak the mulberries in cold water for 5 minutes.  Drain.

2. Soak the red clovers in cold water for five minutes.  Make sure to remove any sand or small bugs.  Remove and discard the leaves.

3. In a deep pot, mash the mulberries.  Add clover, sugar, and water.  Bring it to a boil over high heat, and then boil it for another 15 minutes.  Strain away the clovers and mulberry seeds.

4. Reduce the heat to medium and continuously boil it until the liquid reduces to 1/3; stirring occasionally.

5. Turn off the heat.  Keep it in an air-tight jar and use it on ice cream, drinks, or goat cheese.

Dandelion Flower Cookies and Pickled Buds｜蒲公英曲奇｜醃蒲公英花蕾

These bright yellow flowers are not weeds. They are food.

Starting from late spring, hundreds of thousands of bright yellow dandelions have popped up from road sides, parks, and gardens, after their look-alike cat’s ears subside.

It is the prime time to forage the dandelion buds and flowers for recipes.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned dandelion cookies to my five-year-old son. He didn’t know what they were, but he was attracted to the sound of cookies. “Mommy, if you make them, I will eat them all!” he said. So I started to look for some good dandelion for this recipe.

In the city, it may be easy to see dandelions everywhere, but it can be a challenge to look for a batch of clean ones. I need to check the environment carefully, making sure there would be no risk of car exhaust, litter, or animal droppings before getting my hands on the plants. Unfortunately, where I live is a very popular dog walking path and I don’t dare to pick any dandelions around here to feed my family, no matter how beautiful they look.

So I decided to walk around the city to look for a patch of clean dandelion. I know it may sound crazy to many people (even to my husband).  But a patch of healthy and clean dandelions means that we will be less likely to swallow chemicals or other unpleasant substances into our stomachs.

People often wonder why I treasure dandelions so much, while others just want to kill these plants with all they can. Then, it is because I know these bright yellow spring plants are food — a type of highly nutritious food. All parts of a dandelion, from the flower to the root are edible, and they are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, and trace minerals. When they are lying everywhere around me, I feel guilty not to use them and just let them to fade away with the season.

So when my In-laws invited us over for a dinner yesterday, I was quite excited. First, it was because I always enjoyed their company; second, it was because I could get some dandelions in their healthy lawn.

To make about 30 dandelion cookies, I used about 1/4 cup of dandelion petals. Since the green part of the dandelion heads taste slightly bitter, I omitted them in my recipe here.

Dandelion Cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Dandelion Petals

1/3 cup Butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups Flour, sifted

1/3 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

a pinch of Salt

How to make:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 360F.

2. Quickly rinse the flower heads in the water to remove any dirt or debris; dry them on paper towel.

3. Separate the yellow petals from the green parts. We will only use the petals for this recipe.

4. To make the dough, mix the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and salt; continuously mix it until it’s incorporated.

5. Add in flour, 1/3 at a time. Mix it and form it into a dough. The texture of the dough should resemble your earlobes. Adjust the texture with extra flour or water if needed. Add dandelion petals and mix well.

6. Roll the dough into small balls and lay them on baking tray. Press the dough down with a folk to create the pattern. Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes.

These dandelion cookies are rich in egg flavour with a slight hint of dandelion. They are good pair with black tea.

Dandelion buds

Dandelion buds are known good for pickling and be eaten as capers. When choosing the buds, find those are tightly closed and bright green because they contain the most floral flavour.

Pickled Dandelion Buds

Ingredients:

Dandelion buds, rinsed

1 cup Hot Water

2 tablespoons White Vinegar

2 teaspoons Sugar

1 Bay Leaf

How to make:

1. Combine together the water, vinegar, and sugar; stir it until it’s dissolved.

2. Add bay leaf and dandelion buds. Chill it in the fridge for two days before using.